No Time Like The Past
by Tempestor
Summary: Sailor Pluto is the guardian of time.. watching over all events that occur. What happens when key events in Sailor Scout History start being tampered with by a mysterious evil?.. this is part 1 of a series i will continue if people like it. My first fan
1. Battle in the Arctic

NO TIME LIKE THE PAST  
  
Chapter 1  
  
*Being an American viewer of the Sailor Moon Saga... I am taking an eclectic approach to the names of characters and of certain attacks. I choose what makes my writing sound well for the fic in question.  
  
  
"Time. It is a force that destroys, creates, alters, ameliorates, and obliterates every single thing in the universe. It is both a raging hurricane and a tranquil breeze, but time is not infinite for anything. The ripples created by mortals in the great stream of chronological power are irreversible. What is done in the past can and will affect the uncertain future with dramatic consequences."   
  
The ethereal mist of the ages surges in great torrents to consume it in a maelstrom. The mist seems alive; it contorts for a second into a skull or a face and then just as quickly fades out of existence. This is the omniscient portal of time that we see and an amazing sight it is. There is a faint glimmer on the horizon towards the nexus of the portal and as the mist clears, there is the figure of a woman.   
  
The staff emerges first from the mist held by a delicate yet strong white glove. A key! It is adorned by ornate engravings and topped by a crimson orb. It is known as the garnet orb of power, a talisman of the Holy Grail and a focus of the energy of the silent warrior holding it. Then the figure steps out of the mist and into the light of a passing rift in the storm. Her emerald hair is swept into the wind ever so gently as if it had a life of its own and she slowly raises her face to the scintillation, seeming to bathe in its glow. She seemed to be a living statue, her skin possessed a dark hue despite the bright luminescence and her face was marked with nothing but perfection. Her dark red lips parted slightly and she breathed deeply. Then the guardian of time known as Sailor Pluto opened her eyes; the windows of her soul alight with a dark blaze, a tingling washes over those who look upon them.  
  
By the order of the Silver Millennium of the future, she was imbued with the power to watch over the gate of time and serve as the first barrier of protection against outside invasion. As any Sailor Scout, she does her job very well. Pluto, the planet of death and desolation, furthest away from the warmth of the sun and the life of the Earth was her sovereign symbol. The echoes of the spirits of the past and the deaths of the present she harnesses with the garnet orb to enforce her authority. She has observed the deaths of civilizations from her position but is sworn to never interfere unless it poses a direct threat to the order and good of the universe. Yes, she even saw the downfall of the Moon Kingdom itself but could do nothing to interfere. In the event that she is required to enter the plane of reality, she is forbidden to exercise the full extent of her power to stop time even if it is necessary for good to prevail lest she be banished forever.   
  
Her tears were all gone, that part of what she used to call herself... Setsuna, it was merely a whisper on the wind now. Great power is always accompanied with great sacrifice, and she has made the biggest sacrifice of all... the ability to love and experience many of the same emotions mortals take for granted. Her only companions the wraiths of souls long passed and souls manifesting being ghosted about by the mist.  
  
She reached out towards the rift and ever so gently touched the rift with the garnet orb. Raising an eyebrow, she watched intently at the disturbance in the flow of time.   
  
"This is an unnatural occurrence, it is the fourth one in exactly two earth weeks. I must investigate the matter further."   
  
Slowly but gradually building in power she channeled her power through the garnet orb and observed the part of time that was being affected. She saw in the vision a great battle... Princess Serena was fighting a woman of great power. It was Beryl! She smiled at what she saw... it was beautiful. Serena was wuthering the storm of evil energy being blasted at her by wielding the one object that dwarfs those of her garnet orb in power, the Imperium Silver Crystal.   
  
Serena with tears in her eyes screamed above the horror, "Yes my friends, help me I don't have the strength to carry on without you." The phantasms of the inner senshi appeared behind Serenity to grip the crystal and call out the names of their sovereign symbols. They shouted, "MERCURY POWER! MARS POWER! JUPITER POWER! VENUS POWER! COSMIC MOON POWER UNITE!" Sailor Pluto then beheld a sight that chilled her more than the mists of time. She thought out loud, "By the NeoQueen, no..." Serena lost her grip on the crystal and it slipped out of her hand the resulting pink blast of energy from the crystal decimated the ice tower that she was standing on and it collapsed. Serena was unconscious lying there on the sizzling patch of burnt ground and Beryl proclaimed, "The Negaverse will rule supreme!" Obsidian tendrils of evil lightning erupted from her hands and engulfed the Princess... blood spurted from her mouth and her golden hair was incinerated to a black cinder, she was dead.   
  
Sailor Pluto looked away in horror. She had sensed an unusual energy signature at the time that Serenity dropped the crystal. She shouted out loud, "Dammit, why did I not expect this sooner." Sailor Moon and the others had grown too strong to be defeated by a head-on assault; so more devious methods must be used. Pluto knew then that entrance into the plane of reality to correct whatever evil dared to interfere with the integrity of the history of the universe itself was justified. She raised her transformation stick into the air and shouted, "PLUTO PLANET POWER!" A blast of ethereal mist engulfed her and with the screams of the wraiths surrounding her, she brandished the staff to emerge clad in the uniform that mortals have grown to know so well.   
  
She pointed the Staff of the Garnet Orb towards the gate of time and with all her mind willed it to open to allow her passage. There was a flash of light and she vanished from that plane of existence to be blasted by the frigid winds of the Antarctic.   
  
Suddenly in the difference Serena's battle cries were heard again accompanied with Beryl's mad laughter. Sailor Pluto ran with all her might towards the locus of the sound and was once again witness to the awesome battle at hand. The great ice tower atop which Serena stood quaked with the force of the attack that Queen Beryl was using. Finally, she noticed the anomaly that she was detecting at this moment in time. A form stood at the base of the spire his arms crossed in a defiant gesture, staring up at the wonder of the raging battle.   
  
His hair was tinged with red and black and it slowly rose in the breeze like writhing tendrils. His face was etched with pure hatred, his eyes were deep blue and they seemed to freeze the very heart of Setsuna as he stared at her with a smirk on his face. His cloak seemed to be sentient and it folded around his body in the wind, black tinged with red very similar to his hair. He was clothed in a black body suit, hugging him tightly and showing the well-defined outlines of his body. He spoke, "What's the matter Setsuna?"   
  
Pluto's eyes wandered over him and burned brightly with the fire of passion that arose in her soul. She thought, "He is beautiful, like a fallen angel he appears to have committed some vile sin and was cast out of his Paradise. He now graces us with his presence on Earth." She was surprised at herself when she knew that deep down inside she wanted him, he had seduced her without ever saying much more than a sentence. His soul spoke to her as if to say, "It will be OK my dear Setsuna, I know your pain and I am here to make you whole once more."   
  
Sailor Pluto became angry at herself, hoping it would nullify her desire for him, and she asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here, you obviously do not belong... this event in time must not be interfered with." He put his arms down and walked without touching the ground over to her... he seemed to shimmer with power and said "I like to observe beautiful things... and I do mean beautiful things Setsuna but not just this battle." She spoke, "How... how do you know... that is not important state your business now or be prepared to be met with lethal force." He reached out his hand and caressed her face... his other hand moving through her hair. He leaned in towards her body and gently touched his lips with hers; it was as if they were two parts of a whole reunited. She inclined her head to receive him and they began to explore one another.   
  
Sailor Pluto suddenly came to her senses and realized that something was happening. She swung the staff and landed a crushing blow to the angel's head scattering blood onto the snow below her feet, the man crumpling to the ground. She shouted, "NO!!" and saw what he meant to do. He was distracting her, it was somehow within his power to manipulate reality and create things out of thin air.. in this case a duplicate of himself. He hovered beside of the spire and prepared to strike the crystal out of Serena's hands. Sailor Pluto channeled the power of the wraiths of time into the garnet orb and shouted, "DEADLY SCREAM." The mists formed around her and suddenly condensed on the end of the staff, she launched the energy at him. The energy slammed into the mysterious man knocking him to the ground. He got up, his skin gnarled and black on the small of his back and smoking slowly as a result of the attack and turned to face Sailor Pluto.   
  
He smiled as his cape curled around his gaping wound and miraculously healed it. He shouted at Sailor Pluto, "I am known as Tempest, and I am here to right a wrong that was committed by the woman standing up here many times throughout her life." He charged swiftly at Sailor Pluto, faster than her eyes could see and enveloped her within the coils of his cape. They stared into each other's eyes and he grinned maliciously. Tempest began to pummel Sailor Pluto viciously and slammed her on the ground with his cape. She coughed up a slight bit of blood but wiped it away, she braced for another attack and shouted, "DEAD..." but she was interrupted with the shout of, "CHAOS FLARE!" A red aura of concussive force exploded from the ground and knocked her backward onto her back. He then coiled her up once again within the tendrils of his cloak and he uttered the words, "I love you and hate all you stand for, order and chaos are not in balance."   
  
She struggled against him but could not avoid staring into his crystalline blue eyes. Images filled her mind of civilizations dying, millions of souls screaming in agony and fading, the Negaverse destroying the Moon Kingdom, the Dark Moon laying waste to Crystal Tokyo. The pain of the victims of those tragic events that she was forced to stand by and idly watch filled her mind at once and she screamed, "The last bit of humanity that was left in me died with these things that you show me... STOP PLEASE!" She suddenly knew that it was he who was filling her mind with these things, he seemed to have some limited control over the very fiber of reality. Summoning the last amount of her strength she called to her staff.  
  
It flew into her hand and she struck him hard across the jaw. She followed with many rapid slashes with the razor sharp edge of the key and saw that he was stumbling backward appalled at what had just happened. He stammered, "You... you ... how did you?" Tempest looked down at his torn and ragged body and closed his eyes... once again the cape healed his injuries. He declared, "Setsuna you have been a naughty girl," and flew towards Serena again. His hand was just millimeters away from the crystal staff's hilt when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Sailor Pluto had thrown her weapon at him and scored a critical hit, impaling him. He once again dropped to the ground and pulled the weapon out of his side, a crimson flood erupted from his stomach and he said through grinning teeth, "I love it when you get dirty." She smirked and once again called the staff to her hand. Tempest began to laugh insanely, "Fine lovely one, if that's the way you want to play it... lets play."   
  
He shouted, "CHAOS STORM!" The very air and earth surrounding Sailor Pluto seemed to warp, it was as if she was overcome by extreme vertigo. Pluto, with perfect concentration, closed her eyes and brandished the staff holding it up to block the blast of anarchy. Tempest became wide eyed when she deflected the blow and began to muster another attack. Pluto stood silently and gathered the energy that she would need knowing it would be her last effort. She uttered the words once more this time with utter concentration, "Dead Scream." A concentrated stream of energy issued forth from the garnet orb, striking Tempest square in the chest and sending him crashing against a nearby glacier. Unflinchingly, Pluto continued her attack not allowing him to move but continually burning him with this arcane power.   
Tempest waved his hand to use his reality altering power and the beam changed course to head directly for Setsuna. Tempest was critically injured and he could barely speak, he forced out the words, "Ill see you in the past." She hurled the staff but a moment too late and it connected with ice, he had vanished. Setsuna could no longer sense him in this plane. She retrieved the staff and once again looked up at Serena.   
  
Serena held herself like a goddess, maintaining radiance in spite of the terrible physical strain being placed upon her. Serena with tears in her eyes screamed above the horror, "Yes my friends, help me I don't have the strength to carry on without you." Pluto smiled and a tear fell from her eye at the beauty of the site, the five pure warriors of the Silver Millennium uniting to preserve the cause of good and supporting one another. They shouted, "MERCURY POWER! MARS POWER! JUPITER POWER! VENUS POWER! COSMIC MOON POWER UNITE!" A ball of pink energy that seemed to radiate with love issued forth from the Silver Crystal and collided with Queen Beryl, vaporizing her into a pile of bone and ash and illuminating the entire arctic in light.   
  
Setsuna started to wave her staff and open a portal back to the gate of time but she noticed a lock of red and black hair on the ground. She picked it up and stroked it lightly, then she held it tightly between her gloved hands and a tear fell upon them. She said, "May the NeoQueen help me, I'm in love with him."   
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
  



	2. Back to Basics

NO TIME LIKE THE PAST  
  
CHAPTER 2 (Back to basics)  
  
CONFUSED? Read chapter 1   
  
"What you must understand is that it does not matter when, or who, or even what. The slightest change in the past or the present creates a ripple. However insignificant that ripple may seem, if left unobserved it could build into a surging tidal wave. Pity those that understand completely this terrible secret... theirs is a burden unbearable by most."  
  
Sailor Pluto watched the gate of time intently, searching for any trace of the strange energy signature she had encountered exactly three Earth days ago. She knew that Tempest would show himself again but it could be anywhere in any moment in time. He filled her dreams as he filled every waking hour of her thoughts. "I like to observe beautiful things... and I do mean beautiful things Setsuna."   
  
She looked down at her battered body and the mists of time curling around the injuries slowly healing them and winced. She reached down to feel of the painful laceration on her leg and returned her hand to the front of her face, noticing the small bit of blood. The color of his hair, the color of his cape, the blood was warm with the passion flowing from her heart for him. She clenched her fist and shouted aloud, "NO! This cant be happening." It was happening; the more she resisted... the further that Cupid's evil arrow was driven into her heart. Setsuna long ago abandoned her heart, leaving it behind as excess baggage in order to perform the duty that was required of her. She felt a different kind of pain than the one in her leg... her heart was revitalized by the memory of their kiss; she longed to see him again. The tears that she cried now were in vain, for the ice that had entombed her longing for love had melted and nothing could hold the floodgates back up again.  
  
She stared at the tears floating away from her into the air and she reached for them in shock, then she dropped her arm to the side in utter disdain of her action and the tears were carried away in the storm of swirling ethereal mist. She said to herself, "This longing runs deep but it will NOT affect my duty to the Moon Kingdom... I swear it now upon the honor of Queen Serenity." As if on cue, she suddenly felt a disturbance in the flow of time.  
  
Sailor Pluto smiled and said, "I can feel you now, it is time for us to continue what we started Tempest." Sailor Pluto gestured and with a blinding flash of light the staff of the garnet orb appeared in her hand. She pointed the key towards the gate and in the direction of the now shimmering rip in the fabric of her plane and closed her ruby eyes. Her verdant hair whipped about her shoulders as the mists began to blow furiously and she channeled her energy through the garnet orb.   
  
There were horns blowing and the heat was staggering. Men and women passed her on the street, one man reading the paper and a group of young girls giggling at the young man across the street. She had assumed the civilian form that she was accustomed to; she brushed her lavender skirt and adjusted her bow to step out onto the street. Her heels let out a sharp clack as she walked up the sidewalk in the direction of a power source that she could sense. Setsuna trembled at the thought of seeing Tempest again and suddenly she something that made her heart drop. She said aloud, "Oh by the great gate no... he wouldn't dare." There was a shot, "Hey stay away from the kitty you little brats!" The boys scattered from the poor animal and a girl stepped out from behind the building into Setsuna's view to comfort it. The glint of her blond hair in the sun and the innocent face caused Setsuna to mutter and nearly fall to her knees, "Your majesty... I do not deserve to see your creation." Serena purred to the black cat in her arms, "You're a pretty kitty, who do you belong to? Oh no collar oh dear... and what's this on your forehead. Oh, a crescent moon! I think I'll call you Luna." The merciful girl laughed and carried the cat off into the distance against the setting sun.  
  
"Beautiful isn't she... she could never be as beautiful as you my dear Setsuna," said a voice that she recognized instantly. "Tempest..." she said as she turned to meet the source of the voice. He was dressed as a typical male of the time, his brown slacks giving way to a white shirt with a standard black tie, over his shoulder he had flung a brown overcoat. He ran a hand through his crimson hair and looked directly into her eyes. Setsuna's eyes wandered over his body and noticed that he had been sweating form being out in the sun, he had watched Serena for a long time. She longed for his dark embrace and for the feel of his body close to hers. "I know Setsuna, our love and desire for one another always seems to interfere with our work... my appearing to you in the open is foolish of me. Make no mistake I plan on carrying through with this mission but I wanted to tell you first... if I see you again I will consider it a threat and deploy all my power against you," said Tempest. He took a few steps towards her and she felt herself being pulled towards him by her feet. Tempest wrapped his arms around Setsuna and began to move in for what they both wanted so much... their lips parting to profess their love. Setsuna whispered, "I don't understand." Tempest replied only with silence and a smile as he was millimeters from her lips... and he vanished.  
  
She could feel the tears welling up into her eyes, she clenched her teeth and wiped away the moisture with her wrist. She thought, "What is happening to me? Why can't I resist him?" Her thoughts again turned to his evil and she pondered, "He is evil by nature, it could be another trick to keep me occupied but it feels so real. I must do my duty and protect history... the next place he would attack would be the NeoQueen's home." By this time, night had fallen and she walked into the nearest alleyway.   
  
Setsuna raised her transformation stick into the air above her head and like she had so many times before shouted, "PLUTO PLANET POWER!" She spun the transformation stick around her in a circle and she was engulfed in an explosion of the mists of the gate. The wraiths screamed and she stepped out of the vortex as Sailor Pluto, defender of time, and wielder of the Garnet Orb. Sailor Pluto took to the rooftops and with unearthly speed proceeded to the home of Serena. "It's not that bad of a grade really mom... I can make it up, no not my comic books... MOOOOOOM noooo!" She heard the shouts from inside the house and then stomping up the stairwell. Muttering and pouting, Serena entered her room in the very familiar bunny rabbit pajamas and flopped down upon her bed. Sailor Pluto was perched on a branch outside of Serena's upstairs window and she was no more than a few feet away from her face. Sailor Pluto said to herself, "My liege, this is truly an honor... to see you as you were." Serena stared at pictures of boys, ate countless sweets, doodled, and secretly read her comic books that were concealed behind her textbook before she finally climbed under the covers and went to sleep. Moments later, Pluto knew exactly what was happening so she crouched down and remained as a quiet as the very statues that she resembled.  
  
A black cat scampered up the gutter system of the house and neared the window that Serena lay behind, at once Pluto knew it was Luna. Luna's crescent moon glowed on her forehead with a mysterious power and the window opened as if by magic. The next morning, the first sound that was heard was... "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Luna's hushed tones were heard, accompanied by Serena's gasps that she had somehow gone insane or eaten too much candy before bed. Luna said, "You are Sailor Moon, champion of justice and defender of the Moon Kingdom. You're mission here on Earth is to find and protect the moon princess from the upcoming resurgence of our enemies the Negaverse." Serena was laughing so hard that she was crying, "So let me get this straight, I'm a real super hero like Sailor V and I am here to protect some Princess from the Nega... Nega... ummm Negaverse, yeah that's it." Luna clawed her a little in frustration and said, "Serena, watch." Luna performed a flip in the air, a brooch materialized on the bed covers in front of Serena.   
  
Serena stroked it lovingly and affixed it to her school uniform. Pluto thought to herself, "Such innocence, she has no idea the horror that comes with taking on this power." Luna instructed her to hold the brooch high and shout the words that are known so well to most of those that know the story of Sailor Moon. Serena shouted, "MOON PRISM POWER!" A brilliant aura surrounded Serena and Pluto saw one of the most important occurrences in Sailor Senshi history, the first transformation of Sailor Moon.  
  
A flash of ill intentions flashed through Sailor Pluto's mind and she heard a rustling in the forestry behind her. A red blast of energy screamed through the air and severed the limb on which she was standing. Pluto somersaulted and landed square on both feet, ready for battle. A spark of red energy from the blast fell to the ground and revealed to her surprise a letter. It read, "Keep your nose out of this... I am through with your meddling and you have used up my last ounce of tolerance. Do not interfere in what I am about to do. -With Love, Tempest."  
  
Serena suddenly ran out of the house towards the street and took off towards town. According to chronological logs at the gate, this is the time and place of Sailor Moon's first mission against the Negaverse. Pluto remembered, "Of course, she is heading to that jewelry store owned by Molly's mother... I must make haste." Pluto observed Serena transform in the alleyway and enter the jewelry store. She recalled the tactical situation that was occurring. Civilians drained of energy by evil jewelry placed there by the monster that has possessed Molly's mother will confront Serena. According to history, the amateur Sailor Moon with Luna's help will save Molly and her mother. Sailor Pluto thought aloud, "I'm sure Tempest will see to that, I must enter in the back to make certain I do not directly affect the battle."   
  
Pluto nimbly dropped off of the roof of the store and ran past the window, taking time to glance in and see Sailor Moon managing to barely dodge both the blows of the monster's arms and the possessed civilians. Sailor Moon screamed, "I don't like this dream anymore Luna... wake up Serena! AAAAAAH!" Sailor Pluto thought to herself, "She has no idea of the things she will accomplish, this is not a dream dear sweet majesty... this is a destiny." Pluto found the backdoor slightly ajar and kicked it open... she quickly glanced around noting that the room was very dark. Suddenly she saw a rapid movement and a flash of crimson on black and the inner door to the jewelry store opened. Sailor Pluto bolted for the door and reached out for the doorknob, pain coursed through her hand as she realized that he had super heated the door, so he did know that she was coming. She withdrew her glove with a cry and some of the material stuck to the knob... her hand was burned severely and she could barely hold the staff, yet she grimaced and held it steady. A small channeling of her spirit into the garnet orb later was all that was required to explode the doors off of its hinges with a loud bang... and Tempest turned from his vantage point on the rafters to face her.   
  
Serena was shouting, "Moon Tiara... what, Luna what do I doooooooo?!" Tempest smiled and said with pure malice in his voice, "She is a fool as you are for following me here... now I must kill you." Pluto lowered the staff in front of her face in a battle ready position, "Tempest, your crimes against time itself are not unnoticed by the all seeing eye of the gate... prepare to atone." There was a loud crash that erupted from the window across the store and a well-dressed gentleman wielding a rose appeared in its frame. Tempest smirked; "Enter the hopeless idiot that will enable that bitch down there to ruin the very fabric of the universe." The man known as Tuxedo Mask hurled a rose at the evil beast that had drawn too close to Serena and it impaled itself in its arm, blood issued forth in a torrent... a horrifying roar issued from its maw.   
  
"DEADLY SCREAM," the garnet orb screamed with the spirits of time and a ball of power silently soared across the rafters to connect with Tempest's left shoulder and explode out of the nearby window. Tempest screamed in agony and gripped the remnants of his shoulder in his hand; covering the wound with his cape quickly... he stood up and floated over to face Sailor Pluto. Tempest scowled, "So we dance once again my love?" Pluto noticed that he still could heal himself as before and replied, "Time has decreed your fate you impostor." He smiled and suddenly thrust his hands out to both sides, he strained incredibly and his hands pulsed with a red energy. His cloak shimmered and folded itself in knots around certain places on the rafters and disconnected from the main body.   
  
Clones of Tempest sprung from the knots of the living cloak and began to circle Sailor Pluto laughing. They all said in unison, "How do you like this dance, guardian of time?" They descended upon her like a pack of vultures and lashed out with their fists. She felt a wet snap in both of her sides and realized that they were ribs breaking, as it soon hurt to breathe. Sailor Pluto screamed, "You coward!' The clones merely laughed and concealed her view of the real Tempest's actions. Two clones held her arms behind her and the last clone began to further inflict pain upon Sailor Pluto's body. Every punch and every kick worsened the pains in her chest until she could no longer feel it anymore. Sailor Pluto, with a defiant scream called the staff to her hand and drove it upward threw the nearest clones sternum. She pulled over and upward over her head, slinging the clone onto the other two and knocking them to the ground. Sailor Pluto steadied herself and shouted, "DEADLY SCREAM." The mists swirled around her and channeled into the staff, the resulting blast left piles of smoldering rubble of the clones.   
  
Tempest fired a precision shot at the rafter above Serena's head and it began to fall. Pluto let out a desperate yell and hurled the Staff of the Garnet Orb above Serena's head to deflect the debris. It fell harmlessly on the ground behind Serena as she removed the Tiara on her head and began to spin rapidly. The Tempest before her exploded into a pile of ash and vapor and she finally realized his true intentions. The real Tempest burst through the front door of the jewelry store holding a form in his hands. She called the staff to her and crashed out after him through the top window, ignoring the pain telling her to stop in her chest. She landed directly on top of his shoulders before he got far one leg over each shoulder and around his neck... she flung him to the ground. She approached and couldn't bear to look at the angels terrified face as she drove the key into his stomach with all her might. Tempest writhed in agony and grew still... blood poured out of him onto the pavement in a large puddle. She grabbed the unconscious Luna and with one wave of the garnet orb and the last exertion of her power... she revived her and tossed her back beside of Serena inside of the jewelry store. Luna acted as if she did not know what jut happened.  
  
Serena shouted, "MOON TIARA... MAGIC!" Her tiara glowed and formed into a ball of intense swirling light and it hurled through the air to connect with the monster's chest. The monster was vaporized instantly upon impact and all of the afflicted civilians fell unconscious to the floor. Minutes later, Pluto smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Sailor Moon walking home with Luna slowly up the dark streets of Tokyo. Pluto overheard her say something about Tuxedo Mask to Luna and pause briefly as if sensing something. She stood at the top of a hill... the moonlight glinting off of her blue eyes and blond hair... and she looked directly towards the alleyway in which Sailor Pluto stood.  
  
Pluto stood silently, knowing that if she were seen the course of history would be altered. Luna called from ahead and said, "Serena come its getting late and you must rest for school tomorrow." Serena reluctantly walked onward complaining about Miss Haruna's class being so early.  
  
Pluto raised the Staff of the Garnet Orb to create a portal to return to the Gate of Time and suddenly the pain of her body hit her like a brick wall. Her ribs sent sharp pains reverberating up her spine and she fell to the ground in pure agony... her body had simply shut down and she swooned.   
  
Footsteps echoed down the alleyway... two black clad arms wrapped around the form of Sailor Pluto and pulled them close to their owner. He held his fist high into the air and power began to pulse through it. His teeth were clenched tightly and his eyes narrowed... then he slowly brought his fist to the ground. Tempest said aloud, "Dammit, I cant stop loving you" and bent his head to Setsuna's lips. He felt the smoothness of her thigh and savored the taste of her lips. Tempest held her close to his body, enfolding her within his cape and allowing his healing power to wash over her. They floated into the air in an eternal embrace... she looked up into his eyes and said, "I... I ... I'm sorry... tell me why..." and she lost consciousness again. Tempest said in a hushed and sad tone, "My love... I can never tell you why."   
  
The next morning Sailor Pluto awoke on the rooftop of the jewelry store and looked about her. She could still smell him on her... the unmistakable smell of someone who has ridden on the river of time itself. She felt her ribs and found them to be completely healed. Suddenly she heard a noise in the alleyway below her. Sailor Pluto peered over the side of the building and saw Tempest laying there... he had become pale and every movement seemed to cause him pain. She leaped off of the building and rushed to his side... taking both of his hands in hers. He said in a low voice, "Setsuna, I have stayed in this plane for too long... if you cannot provide me with the necessary energy to return to my home... I will die." She found herself saying uncontrollably between sobs, "Take me with you my love... I know there is good in you, open your heart to me and don't die... please don't die... I've waited ages for a man as beautiful as you to come... my fallen angel... take whatever you must to live...." He smiled at Setsuna and pulled her close to him... she felt a faint tingle as their lips met and she knew that he was draining her power out of her, she let him. His face grew emotionless and then he pushed her away. He said, "This is why you can't beat me, you haven't learned to kill that which no longer serves you... your heart, when next we meet it will once again be as enemies." Tempest them gestured, and using the power from Sailor Pluto, he vanished as quickly as he had appeared.  
  
Sailor Pluto put her face in her hands and collapsed into a heap. His love and his words from the night before echoed through her mind. His true feelings for her had been proven... but he no longer serves his heart, he serves whatever force commands him. He seemed an unwilling participant in the situation that was occurring and his soul seemed to say, "Save me." He risked his life by staying to insure that her convalescence went well and she knew that she was too weak to finish him off... as he had been with her. What would she do now? Sailor Pluto said aloud, "It is simple, I must track him down again and one way or another find a way to end this."   
  
Setsuna stepped out onto the street and brushed down her lavender dress. A man walked by reading a paper and a group of young girls giggled at the young man across the street. She sighed and longed just for a brief moment... to remember what it was like to be one of them.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
(Expect the next installment within two weeks and please tell me what you guys think of it so far. Thanks! - Tempestor)   
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Cost of Duty

NO TIME LIKE THE PAST  
  
CHAPTER 3 (THE COST OF DUTY)  
  
"What burden you say? In no longer being a chess piece in the great cosmic game of history... you are removed from the board, forever to watch and record. It is your duty to either destroy or maintain the balance of the events that have occurred... despite the beauty of the pieces in question."   
  
He had hurt her beyond words, her heart a glaring weakness. Setsuna sat in the Tokyo Diner totally absorbed in thought, sipping at the coffee in front of her. The slight burn of the coffee as it proceeded past her lips her only reminder she was alive. "That is why you can't beat me, you haven't learned to kill that which no longer serves you... your heart." Tempest's last words to her from the night before had struck a nerve... she was as perplexed as she had been in the alleyway. Her love for Tempest was obvious to him and she learned that he can and would play on it.   
  
Deep down, she knew that he loved her as well... their embrace as they hovered among the stars was too real. Why would he have stayed behind? Why if he really was just playing her like a fool did he risk his life for her? She refused to believe that he acted on his own accord, if he were not then why was he given a limited amount of time to stay in the plane of reality? Someone or something was pulling the strings... but what.   
  
The truth was that she was scared... scared of what their current "relationship" would become. Setsuna was sure of one thing though, one and one only. That was that whatever the cost... he must be stopped by any means necessary. She felt that her feelings were insignificant next to the sanctity of time as she had every second of time for the eons she had watched the gate.   
  
"Miss... hello... miss?" Her waiter was standing beside of her table and trying to get her attention she noticed as she snapped out of her daze. "Oh I'm sorry... I must have been day dreaming," said Setsuna. The waiter couldn't have been more than 17 years old... his green eyes, brown hair, and dimples gave him a boyishly sweet face, one that you could trust with anything. "Its ok miss... you have been here a while is anything bothering you," asked the boy. Setsuna looked outside and noticed that rain had started to fall and said in a low tone, "Yes, why can people never change... in spite of duty? Why can't we break the ties that bind for just one moment... to experience life on the inside looking at the world about you for what it is... and not what it will become?" The waiter stood and looked puzzled for a moment and then a grin spread over his face, he began to chuckle slightly. Setsuna gasped and she nearly dropped her coffee but instead slammed it down on the table. His eyes had changed from green to blue and they glowed with an eerie light.  
  
He stood still and words began to issue out of his mouth but not in his normal pubescent voice. Then Setsuna felt that familiar disturbance in the space-time continuum.   
  
"Perhaps it is because we... like most mortals realize that the ties that bind are useless to resist. Look at them... they are sheep, they are moved by a force that they cannot possibly understand as we do. Teachers, lawyers, doctors, mothers, fathers, rapists, murderers, and even guardians of the gate of time are all bound by something. For us, it happens to be preserving the balance between order and chaos... that ancient struggle as old as time itself." Setsuna felt the familiar tugging of her heart as the mere sound of his voice brought out her weakness. Setsuna reached up and yanked the young boy's body into the booth across from her and they began to whisper now.   
  
Setsuna spoke first, "How dare you call yourself a guardian. You have done nothing but try to disrupt the fabric of time itself from the moment I first saw you in the Antarctic. Order and Chaos are in balance Tempest... don't you think I understand that as well as you do? I stood by and observed the utter destruction of Queen Serenity's haven the Moon Kingdom and even Crystal Tokyo. Those people were dear to me... and yet I did not interfere for time was running its natural course. What you are doing is wrong... it's evil and you seek to destroy all that has happened." The boy began to speak once more, "You are mistaken... Serena and her merry band are those that are in error, that girl has defied every natural law of the universe and against all odds preserved this utter chaos that we now call Earth. I don't expect someone like you to understand Setsuna... you are too weak to see the truth as I have when I was shown the evidence."   
  
Setsuna replied, "What? What evidence Tempest? Who has been telling you these things... you and I both know that you act against your will in doing what you do." Setsuna held back the tears that wanted to come and maintained a face like stone, "Your love for me has proven that... that is the evidence that I have seen." The boy's face grew tense and a tear fell from his eye, which he quickly wiped away..., he seemed to be struggling with something. "Setsuna, there is great wisdom in your words and you are right about... about my feelings for ... your lies are obvious I came here for a reason you heretic." Setsuna quickly interjected, "Tempest I can see that you are fighting whatever it is..." but she was interrupted with a sharp statement. The boys face grew into an expression of pure and unadulterated rage and he stated, "Go to the park in an hour... you will find a time gate there, I'm giving you a sporting chance this time to stop me Setsuna. I'm going to prove to you once and for all that you are NOT fit as the avatar of order that you claim to be." Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of red atop the building across from the diner.   
  
The boy scowled and said, "It's about time you realized I was here... you know you really are hopeless... blinded by your emotion." Then his head dropped to the table with a dull thud. Setsuna pulled a number of bills out of her purse and slammed them on the table... she ran outside and gripped her transformation stick. There was the sound of thunder and the gloom of the rain falling about her... but Tempest had vanished. Setsuna knew that whatever he had planned for her would most definitely try her emotionally but at this point she didn't care. Setsuna said aloud, "If the only way I'm going to reach you is through battle... then so be it."   
  
Meanwhile, in the darkness of space two forces stirred. A disturbance had awakened them... the forces began to speak with one another. One said to the other, "Do you think we should?" The other force replied, "I don't think it's a question of if... it's a question of how... the universe screams in agony at the battles being fought between them." The two forces sped off towards Earth... knowing that their help was going to be required to end the conflict.   
  
Setsuna had reached the park exactly an hour after her encounter with Tempest and she began to sense a small but distinct disturbance in time. It was his energy signature... and she was drawn by it as she was to him. Within moments... she had found it well concealed in a grove of trees. It appeared as a small indentation in the air... a passing human would have thought nothing of it, probably blaming it on their drinks or the light glinting off of the leaves of the tree. Setsuna breathed deeply and reached into her pocket to retrieve her transformation stick. It glinted in the moonlight and she said, "You who has caused me so much pain but whom I am destined to serve... it is again to you I turn." She lifted the transformation stick high into the air and shouted, "PLUTO PLANET POWER!"  
  
Setsuna spun and waved the stick in a circle around her... purple sparks of energy falling and searing the ground. A jet of mists from the gate of time enveloped her with explosive force and she felt the familiar chill... the wraiths screamed. The stick began to widen and extend and she felt power suddenly course through it, it had become the staff. She stepped out of the mist once again as she had so many times before as Sailor Pluto.   
  
Pluto reached out with the garnet orb and brushed the small indentation in the air. It opened into a vortex of red and black. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped through.   
  
She was still in the park but she could sense that she had been moved about 6 months into the future... to what event she did not know. Then she heard mumbling in the brush in front of her. The moonlight flashed off of the staff as she crept over towards the noise and she caught a view of a red and black cape in the tree above her. Tempest was there looking down at her with a wicked grin upon his face... he floated down slowly from the trees and landed on his feet beside of her.   
  
He reached out his hand and delicately placed his finger below her chin... raising her face to his. Even now Setsuna wanted to reach out and bring him to her but she resisted. Tempest spoke quietly, "You followed me my dear Setsuna, as I knew you would. We guardians always are ones for competition. This time you will not win my lovely... your heart wont let you." Sailor Pluto replied, "Make no mistake Tempest... whatever you think about my vulnerability I will stop you and believe me I've seen enough blood... but if the only way to reach you is by force, it is force you will receive." She grabbed Tempest's hand and threw it down to his side, brandishing her staff. Tempest smiled and placed his hand on her staff... pushing it down. He whispered, "You're cute when you're angry." Then Tempest winked at her and moved faster than the eye could perceive to the other side of the glade. Sailor Pluto watched intently at the events unfolding before her and attempted to discern the forms of the two individuals she saw before her.  
  
The young girl had tears in her eyes and she was pulling at a large object and screaming in pain. The man lying on the ground was aiding her and trying his best to remove the debris. He had long, brown, and curly hair and he whispered softly to the girl beside him, "I guess this means no chocolate parfaits." The object lodged in his chest looked like a piece of bark and it crackled with energy. Pluto knew what she was seeing... this was the death of Nephlite. The more she pulled the more pain that they both were in... the glade was alight with flickering sparks. Pluto turned her head slightly to the left and noticed that the other senshi were approaching... all of them were moved by the site of what they were seeing. Nephlite had rescued Molly from certain death at the hands of some Negaverse monsters involved in a plot to overthrow Nephlite as general and had received this injury. The scouts had just finished vanquishing them no doubt... as their bodies were battle worn and that appeared exhausted.  
  
According to history, Nephlite was supposed to die and Molly would grieve without end over him. If Nephlite had not died there was a possibility that information about the sailor senshi could be extracted from Molly's mind by Queen Beryl or from Nephlite himself. Sailor Pluto watched Tempest intently... trying to determine what plot he had devised. Tempest smiled and gestured towards the ground... his cape was slithering over the ground as a small tendril to connect with Nephlite's back. Nephlite gasped and his body seemed to be disintegrating from the energy drain... he shuddered a few times then closed his eyes. Molly began to cry out to the heavens as if she could somehow change what had just taken place. Molly shouted, "No Nephlite don't leave me! I love you! Come back... please come back!" Suddenly, Nephlite stood up and started to remove the thorn from his chest... Molly's eyes lit up with joy. Sailor Pluto looked over at Tempest who was laughing hysterically at the site. Molly wiped the tears from her eyes and Nephlite smiled down at her.  
  
Sailor Pluto realized with horror how Tempest was testing her. She had to preserve order and the integrity of the timeline but in order to do so... she must take Nephlite's life. Sailor Pluto clenched her fist and became so angered that the garnet orb pulsed with power and began to give off a faint glow in the glade. Tempest stood and crossed his arms in front of him with a defiant look upon his façade. Sailor Pluto stood and held the staff in front of her and the garnet orb began to pulse. It grew brighter with her every thought. Her thoughts were a storm, "... you know you really are hopeless... blinded by your emotion, that is why you can't beat me, you haven't learned to kill that which no longer serves you... your heart, ... you are too weak to see the truth, why can people never change... in spite of duty?" Sailor Pluto uttered the words, "Forgive me Molly."  
  
Sailor Pluto pointed the staff towards Nephlite's back at the open wound and quietly whispered, "Dead Scream." Mists gathered at her feet and proceeded up her body to reach their apex at the garnet orb... and by concentrating on the focus of her power she causes the force of the attack to change. It was a small beam of energy... but it was enough. It emitted from the staff and sailed through the air to connect with Nephlite's back.   
  
He arched and shuddered for a moment... then his eyes grew wide. Molly reached out to catch him as he fell to the ground... she screamed. Nephlite whispered, "Goodbye... my love." He completely vanished from her arms but the glade was suddenly aglow with many beautiful spheres of light... rising to the heavens, by loving Molly for just those few hours... his soul was free. Pluto's stomach wrenched and she swallowed her rage for Tempest. Molly was crying again and Pluto longed to run to her... comfort her and tell her it was for the best but she knew that she could not. Pluto had killed her heart once again... it was those many years ago at the destruction of the moon kingdom.   
  
Sailor Pluto flew over the glade and delivered a flying kick to Tempest's chin. The force of the blow was so great that he was knocked onto his back in the nearby field. Sailor Pluto shouted, "Let that be a lesson that my reverence to time is absolute. You have made me kill for no reason... and for that you will feel my pain." Sailor Pluto shouted, "DEAD SCREAM!" The blast cratered the ground that Tempest dodged from and his mouth was wide in surprise. Tempest stammered, "I underestimated you Setsuna... I will not do so again." He placed his hand to his forehead and suddenly Pluto felt a piercing sensation in her mind. She dropped to her knees in anguish and her screams filled the night air.  
  
Sailor Pluto began to stand as the sensation died away and he was ready for her.. he delivered a kick to her stomach, which knocked the air out of her with a groan. Tempest then wrapped a tendril of the cloak around Pluto's throat and lifted her into the air. She pulled at the cloak frantically, trying to pry it lose, but it kept slipping from her grasp. She felt the world start to grow dim as asphyxiation set in. "So this is the cost of duty," she thought as Molly's wails echoed through her mind. As she looked down into the crystal eyes of her killer... she thought she saw a tear begin to fall.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED   
  
EXPECT THE NEXT INSTALLMENT SOON.. PLEASE R&R  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Deeper into Battle

  
NO TIME LIKE THE PAST  
  
Chapter 4 (Deeper into Battle)  
  
"Woe to those that take opposite sides of the board... for their rivalry is most fierce. Their battle cries shake the very fabric of the universe and in crossing a threshold can awaken sleeping giants. Ultimately, battle is inevitable and when it occurs... reality trembles."  
  
The blackness of space held her like a womb... she looked about her with her burning ruby-colored eyes and sighed in sheer delight. It was so calm and quiet out here... so much more peaceful than what she had to deal with as guardian of time. There was an explosion nearby and light beamed in all directions from the nexus of the sound. Sailor Pluto watched in amazement as the explosion radiated outward bearing stars, planets, and new life that it deposited into the blackness. How could such empty soil grow such beautiful crops? Sailor Pluto sat up and began to swim through the river of darkness that she now seemed to be submerged in. The alpha and the omega... life was beginning and ending all around her. Stars were born with a gleam and they went out with a dull explosion. Sailor Pluto noticed that what she was seeing couldn't possibly be to scale... as the planets themselves were each only about the height of a skyscraper. The systems of planets encircling their respective bodies were miniaturized versions of what science dictated them to actually be.   
  
Suddenly she saw something that caught her eye... there was a system nearby bearing nine planetary bodies and a central flame sputtering orange star. As she moved closer to it... she knew it to be their solar system. Earth looked beautiful as always from space... a swirling globe of color in the desolation of the blackness. Sailor Pluto reached out and brushed against the surface of the representation of planet Earth and to her surprise it turned transparent to reveal an astonishing site. Millions upon millions of people were hovering about inside of the planetary sphere. They were bound by gleaming shackles of energy and were being pulled slowly forward towards a brilliant focus of light... as people entered the light they vanished from view and flowed out of the planet as pure energy to destinations unknown. Each person possessed an energy pathway that they very meticulously followed... sometimes stumbling but always forward. Some pounded against the side of the sphere pleading for release and tugged at their chains while some moved along with a content look on their faces. Some screamed as they entered the light and others vanished with a moan of pure release. A woman of about thirty years of age reached out for her daughter of roughly five years with tears in her eyes as the child was pulled along her short little path and into the light. Try as she might... she could not break her chains and go to her daughter, who waved her little hand and quietly said "Goodbye Mommy." Sailor Pluto gasped and nearly looked away at the next thing she saw... Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto, Luna, Artemis, and even Darien were being pulled towards the same light. She knew at last what she was seeing.  
  
"It is the natural way of life Setsuna do not be afraid of what you see. They all follow a path through space and time to finally reach their end and leave this world for a place that even I do not know the truth behind. Yes, even your beloved Inner Senshi have a destiny...know that in the future they too will fulfill their purpose in the plane of reality." The voice was so powerful and so deep... it was wise beyond mortal capacity. Sailor Pluto immediately asked, "Who... who are you?" I am that which you see before you... that which you so desperately seek to preserve against evil. I have felt your battles and I have brought your soul here to show you that if you give up now... you will ultimately seal the fate of the balance that you so endeavor to maintain. Chaos will prevail over Order and I will die. Sailor Pluto was suddenly projected outward by a burst of force and found herself staring at an amazing site. She saw the entire universe before her... it was embodied within the statuesque form of a lion. There were many celestial creatures slowly being pulled towards a bright light of their own, they also were bound by the same energy as those inside their massive bodies.  
  
Sailor Pluto began to cry at what she was seeing and she whispered, "Where are we going?" The universe replied, "Not even I know that...but one thing is for certain, the light leads to yet another world... another adventure. Now look closely at me...." Sailor Pluto peered closer as she was told and she saw riding upon the back of the great lion many distinct forms. There was Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, the Moon Princess Serena, and even herself standing atop the lion looking towards the light with an emotionless expression. Those that exist outside of time are no longer subject to the laws of the universe and at times may involuntarily bend those laws to secure the natural progress of history. This universe is destined for something great beyond the light my dear sweet Setsuna... you understand that deep down more than anyone else. Once again you have been called to protect the course of the universe and the balance between Order and Chaos... you must prevail, this is our darkest hour. Your time is not yet up Setsuna... there are many dangers and pains on the road ahead but you can and must play a part in them. If you do not.... The lion turned his head to look up at an incoming strong power source... and it closed its eyes. Sailor Pluto instantly noticed the red and black form leading the blast of energy towards the lion... it was he, Tempest. She screamed as the energy slammed into the stone lion, severing its head from its body. The stuff of the cosmos flowed like a river from the exposed veins of the lion's neck and its body crumpled to the ground....  
  
Light. Once again she was in the park and she was being strangled! She remembered now... she was locked in battle with Tempest the man that she lov... hated. Tempest's body was shuttering with grief at what he was doing and tears poured from his blue eyes... even his hair seemed to weep, losing its natural sentience. Sailor Pluto closed her eyes and held what breath was left in her... she appeared dead. Then he suddenly released his grip from her neck and screamed aloud, "ARE YOU NOT SATISFIED? I HAVE DONE AS YOU COMMANDED.... I HAVE MURDERED THE WOMAN I LOVED, ALL IN THE NAME OF DUTY! RELEASE ME AS YOU PROMISED!" Sailor Pluto weakly climbed to her feet and gasped for air, she scowled "You haven't killed me yet you bastard. You love me yet you call me a fool for reciprocating... and may the great gate help me I still am. Tempest; tell me who these people are who command you... together we may be able to beat them." Tempest looked at Sailor Pluto with an expression of utter disbelief, "You... alive... I... we could never beat those that.... It matters not PREPARE TO DIE!" Sailor Pluto knew that in her present state she would not survive another barrage of attacks and yet she brandished the staff with courage. She spoke, "May my last breath be spent stopping your madness."  
  
Tempest glared at her and his cape began to solidify... it was studded with tiny spike-like projectiles. Tempest reached for his back and pulled one of the projectiles into his hand, it began to glow. Tempest reached back for the throw and suddenly stopped... listening to a noise. There was a rumbling of the Earth and the rushing of the sea and a shout erupted from the brush to the right of him, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Tempest saw the gigantic ball of wind and water energy screaming at him and merely had time to utter the words, "Oh shit" before it slammed into his arm. He was flung into a large oak tree and there was a loud snap accompanied by the splintering of wood... his arm was bent at an impossible angle. Tempest struggled to his feet gripping his arm and shouted, "Who the hell are you?" Two forms emerged from the shadows of the brush and rushed to the side of Sailor Pluto, who was feeling the effects of oxygen depravation slowly wash away.   
  
Sailor Pluto looked up into the eyes of her saviors and smiled. One possessed beautiful turquoise green hair that seemed to flow like water about her shoulders in delicate curls. Her face was the pinnacle of grace and beauty and her movements could be accompanied by the graceful singing of a violin. The other possessed a façade of boyish charm. Her blond hair settled upon her head chaotically. Her aura was that of a woman who had ridden upon the great zephyrs and lived to tell the tale. Sailor Pluto said, "Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, ladies it is indeed a pleasure to see you again."   
  
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune nodded solemnly and turned to face the tree that Tempest had slammed against, ready for a fight. Tendrils of red and black slipped out of the trees above Sailor Neptune and wrapped around her throat and waste... lifting her into the air. Sailor Neptune pulled and kicked at the tendrils pulling her upwards to the waiting arms of Tempest.   
  
Sailor Uranus calmly raised her fist into the air and there was a gust of wind followed by the crackling of concentrated energy in her palm. The winds began to blow more swiftly around her and a ring rose from the ground to surround the energy that was collecting in her palm... then she brought her fist to the ground with a shout. "WORLD SHAKING!" The Earth under her rumbled as the ball of energy slammed through the tree that was supporting Tempest and he was forced to release Sailor Neptune, falling to the ground.   
  
Sailor Pluto smiled as she rushed into battle with her compatriots... it was wonderful to once again have support in such a monumental conflict. There was no better support than that rendered by two of the outer Senshi. Sailor Neptune stood and the air began to chill... a sea breeze seasoned the air as a globe of water collected in her hands and she hovered slightly into the air. Two great walls of water parted around her as she shouted, "DEEP SUBMERGE!" Tempest sprung into action... warping the very air currents so that the attack was deflected back towards Uranus and Neptune. They were knocked to the ground from the concussive force. Sailor Pluto tapped Tempest lightly on the back and he turned to her with a snarl. She smiled and pointed at the end of her staff... which was charged and ready to fire, aimed directly at his chest. He laughed to himself and said, "You wouldn't.... hahahaha... ha?!" Pluto looked away and said very remorsefully, "DEAD SCREAM!"   
  
There was a flash of indigo light followed by a dull thud and Tempest crumpled to the ground. His chest was a gaping cavity... no signs of life issued from his face and he still gripped his broken arm. Sailor Uranus and Neptune once again began to charge an attack to fire at his now mortally wounded body. Sailor Pluto looked away at first and then with tears in her eyes shouted, "NO!" Uranus and Neptune looked at Pluto questioningly and Uranus spoke sarcastically, "Oh Setsuna you can't be serious." Sailor Pluto stated, "This man is in need of our help... although he will not admit it he is not in control of his actions and we... he is merely himself a pawn in this cruel game." Sailor Neptune replied, "That is irrelevant, he is a traitor to the sanctity of reality as you so well understand and must be destroyed... that is the mission on which we were deployed. A mysterious and regal voice spoke to us... telling us to go to your aid."  
  
Again Uranus and Neptune took their positions as firing squad and prepared to deliver the death knell to Tempest. Sailor Pluto's thought to herself, "Setsuna you can't just let him die like this... he can be reached... he doesn't have to be like all the others, you don't have to kill your heart." Her face shattered the granite exterior and she pleaded, "No please don't! I love him!" Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune lowered their hands... awestruck by what they had just heard. Sailor Pluto placed her hand to her chest and felt the steady thumping... she wanted to tear it out.   
  
Tempest slowly reared his head and turned towards Sailor Pluto as she pleaded for his life. He wanted so badly to run to her, taking her into his arms. He longed to relive their night among the stars... gently swaying back and forth for all eternity. Then the voice that he hated more than the slowly fading pain in his chest as the cloak washed over it entered his mind. "No Tempest... do not allow your emotion to cloud your judgment as she does, you must continue with the mission and fulfill your destiny." Tempest stood slowly and he felt the smile upon his face fade to a smirk. His body was nearly fully healed now but the time for action was not now... now that they had the element of surprise. He thought to himself, "I know nothing about these new sailor scouts... I must look into this matter further before proceeding." He closed his eyes and faded away... away from the plane of reality and back to the plane in which he belonged.  
  
Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus caught the site of his fading body and quickly shouted, "WORLD SHAKING! DEEP SUBMERGE!" Their combined power only hit air and created yet another smoldering crater in the already wounded field. Sailor Neptune blinked in disbelief and spoke, "You are a fool. Now we have no idea where he will strike again or even when... it could be any time in Senshi history. It was futile for us to render help unto you... he has already won." Sailor Pluto replied, "We must travel to the gate and watch... watch for further disturbances. He will no doubt be ready for the two of you next time and it will not be so easy. We had the element of surprise this encounter... but that man will not back down."  
  
Sailor Pluto knew that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were the best associates she could have hoped for in her trials against Tempest... they are the anchors that she needed to keep both feet on the ground and not be carried away by whimsical emotion. She waved the key to the gate into the air and a shimmering portal opened... she stepped through and beckoned for her compatriots to follow. As they crossed the threshold and Sailor Pluto felt that familiar chill of the mists she whispered to herself, "Welcome to my Prison my friends."  
  
Tempest walked into the large marble room that haunted him every night as he slept and kneeled in front of the throne before him. The throne began to turn and a voice issued from the shadow, "We have another mission for you Tempest. Tell me... are you familiar with the man known as Darien?"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
Tell me what you guys think please.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chameleon

  
NO TIME LIKE THE PAST  
  
Chapter 5 (Chameleon)  
  
"Oh yes... it doesn't end there. A true opponent finds new ways to fight and changes with the battle just as the path of the river of time itself. The nature of chaos is spontaneity... never underestimate it. Nor shall the wise man underestimate order, for order in its purest form... is deathly silence."  
  
PROLOGUE:  
It must have been heaven that he saw for before him stood a radiant angel. Her regal white dress, trimmed with gold, blew lightly with the stirring of the air. So delicate, almost as if she were wrapped in a cloud. It appeared as if it were merely an extension of her soul, she was the sky itself made flesh. The succulent orbs of her eyes bore the delicate blue hue of the roof of the world. Light gleamed from her beautiful shimmering hair as if the rising sun, captivated by her beauty, became a part of it. She sighed lightly and she turned to look into his eyes. Charmed by just one look... he began to reach for her but suddenly there was a loud explosion. Debris began to fall from all around and the princess's smile faded into pure melancholy. Darien awoke with a start from the nightmare and placed his hand to his forehead... wiping away the sweat.  
  
He thought, "What does it mean? Every time I reach out for her... the same destruction occurs. I fear for Serena's safety... my princess, my love. Why can't I be close to her? I hurt her by pushing her away but if I do not heed my dreams warning I fear I will destroy her." Darien pushed the little hand off of his chest belonging to the mysterious little girl Rini and he walked to the bathroom... the moisture of the water from the sink as he splashed it against his face revitalized him. He looked over his shoulder back at the small girl sleeping in his bed. Her appearance was even more baffling. She had suddenly appeared to Serena demanding the Silver Imperium Crystal... how did she know? He also noticed that Rini and Serena were particularly jealous of his attention. He felt a strange attachment to her, he felt for her as he felt for Serena. Darien felt that it was his charge to protect this small child and his love Serena for as long as life surged through his body.   
  
A small and desperate voice issued from the darkened bedroom, "Darieeeeeen.... I have to go to the bathrooooooom!" Darien smiled and spoke; "Sorry Rini, I didn't mean to hold it up." The little bunny rabbit of a girl rubbed the sleep out of her tiny eyes and giggled as she said, "You're as bad as meatball head! Except she usually takes it when everyone is trying to get ready to leave in the morning." Darien laughed and went back to bed... the door to the bathroom closed.   
  
The rain began to fall outside of his Tokyo apartment and he thought to himself, "Suits the mood well in here." Suddenly, he heard swift but light footsteps outside in the hallway and the labored breathing of a voice that made his heart warm. "Please be home Darien... please," the voice panted. There was a knock at the door and Darien groaned in dread. "This is the 4th night in a row that she has been here... looking for some sign of our love. Why can't she see? Why can't I tell her? Why can't I be close to the woman I love? I don't want to hurt her but I must keep my heart distant to keep her safe." Darien slipped on his bedroom slippers and put on a bathrobe as he walked to the door.   
  
Darien squinted and rubbed his eyes as the light from the hallway poured through the door of his apartment. Serena stood in the doorway... soaking wet with a pitiful look of depression on her face, the goddess of the sky wept and so did the natural world. She began to speak with a tone of false happiness, "Hi muffin. How... how are things here? Oh Darien I've missed you so much. You haven't been returning my calls. What's wrong?" Darien replied in a monotone voice, "Things are fine... do you realize what time it is Serena? You should be home... your parents are probably worried." Serena's face tightened and there was angst in her voice as she spoke, "I can't help it... I can't stay away from you Darien. I love you. I want... to be with you." As she spoke she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. Darien remained silent as he held back the urge to cheer her up... make her happy as he always did in the past. Her body shuddered as he heard her begin to cry... she said, "I can't bear it... why have you been so cold lately Darien? I know you know what I'm talking about, what happened to what we had?" Darien replied, "Serena, you should go home now... you'll get sick if you stand around all dripping wet like that. This is exactly why we can't be together... you don't take the real world seriously. I need some space Serena... I must pursue my studies."   
  
Serena pulled back and looked into the wells of Darien's eyes... those handsome dark eyes. He felt her hands reach inside of his robe and rub against his chest... she leaned towards him and inclined her head as she neared his lips with hers. Darien turned his head to avoid the sign of her affection and pushed her away, "Serena, I mean it... go home." At that point the bathroom door opened and Rini stepped out... tossing a curious glance at Serena. Serena spoke between sobs, "So... she's here, it's always her isn't it? You two have a great night! Goodbye Darien." Then for the fourth time that week... Serena ran back down to the street below and towards her home, leaving a trail of grievous tears. Darien's heart ached at what he had just done... he hated himself. He longed for the days when everything was so much simpler. He shook his head and closed the door.  
  
The next morning everything went according to routine. Darien got dressed, ate his breakfast, and walked Rini to school before turning down the side street on the way to work. Thoughts of Serena and the dream continued to fill his thoughts but he brushed them aside as he approached a busy intersection. Above the drone of the traffic he suddenly heard a voice, "Greetings Darien." Darien turned to the source of the sound and saw a man in business dress with fiercely burning red and black hair. Darien replied, "Can I help you?" The man replied, "Yes... yes you can," and placed his hand to his forehead. Darien wobbled on his feet and walked towards the man saying, "What's happening to me?" The last thing that Darien saw before he lost consciousness was the man's cruel smile.   
  
  
  
She felt that the chase would never end. It had been a continuous game of cat and mouse since she first encountered Tempest in the Arctic. He would show himself just long enough to cause a disturbance then play upon her feelings to gain his escape. Despite all of the unspeakable horror that he had attempted to wreak, Setsuna could not demolish her feelings for him. She felt that she would somehow reach him... help to overcome the force that was controlling him. "ARE YOU NOT SATISFIED? I HAVE DONE AS YOU COMMANDED.... I HAVE MURDERED THE WOMAN I LOVED, ALL IN THE NAME OF DUTY! RELEASE ME AS YOU PROMISED!" His angry shouts to an invisible master still haunted her dreams... he obviously is not a willing participant in his actions. He had more control over that cape than his life. "I will set you free my love... I swear it," she made a vow to the ocean she stood before.   
  
Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru had came to this point in history after they felt Tempest's unmistakable energy signature which only suggested his presence in the age... and no actual action yet. It had been at least two weeks maybe more, Setsuna could not remember honestly. She gazed out at the waves of the ocean as she gazed upon the rolling waves of the river of time hoping for some sign of him and she asked aloud, "What are you up to?" Nearby she heard the sounds of a violin; Michiru had not lost her touch after all this time. The music twisted into an image of him within her mind... his sad face against the night sky. The same face she saw that night in the park in which she now stood as he attempted to take her life... she rubbed the bruises on her throat. She walked towards the glade in which the sounds originated and watched quietly from a distance.   
  
Michiru's true passion was in her music as it always had been; she swayed gracefully in and out of the moonlight inside of the small garden gazebo. The violin was her soul made tangible... it sang the melodies of her grace for the entire world. The look of passion upon her sweet face was only surpassed in intensity by the heat of battle. Footsteps could be heard slowly entering the glade and Michiru stopped playing, looking up at the newcomer. A smile spread over her face and she spoke, "Ah Haruka... you're back." Haruka approached the gazebo, her boyish good looks highlighted by the soft moonlight, and softly whispered, "How can one not approach the calling of a siren... don't stop Michiru. Hearing you play gives me warmth, it makes me feel alive, the blood of the past on these hands no longer in my mind." Michiru brushed the hair from her face and stared into Haruka's eyes and she spoke, "Does this give you... that same warmth?" Haruka smiled as Michiru brought her hands to her face and pulled her close... their lips softly meeting. Still embracing one another Haruka whispered, "That and more my love." Michiru giggled and she said aloud, "Then let us compose a symphony with our hearts. I don't need a violin to make you warm."   
  
Setsuna turned and walked away from her partners in order to give them privacy for the night. Pangs of jealousy stung into her mind... they had something that she could never possibly have. When she finally found true love... it was with the enemy. The guardian of time is not expected to love... she is expected to protect. A guardian's heart must be made of ice... lest their duty be compromised. She said aloud as she opened the door to the dwelling of the outer senshi, "Damn it I cant! I can't ignore this cursed heart." It was a sleepless night for Setsuna again... she was waiting for him, for some sign.   
  
Late that night there were sharp and frantic knocks at her door. Setsuna quickly pulled on her night coat and suddenly felt a drop in temperature... the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. There was a disturbance in time... a serious one. She swung the door open and found Michiru and Haruka there with worried looks on their faces. Michiru was holding her sacred talisman, the mirror of Neptune, and she spoke, "I saw a vision in the mirror... he has made a move, it was the prince's face I saw." Setsuna's eyes widened and then narrowed as she replied, "I don't sense any change in history, we aren't too late to stop him. At this point in history... Sailor Moon and the others are battling against the forces of Wiseman and the Dark Moon. Now more specifically Darien, our prince... he and Serena are having a turbulent time in their destined relationship. He is to keep his distance from her in order to keep her safe... but it all will pass eventually. Yet another factor is Rini, the small lady. You must not be seen by her... she has no idea about the outer senshi, with the exception of myself, as of yet or even the identity of Serena and Darien as her parents." Haruka and Michiru nodded and exchanged understanding glances with Setsuna and they said together, "Let's go."  
  
Setsuna thought it wise not to transform but to remain in their mortal form until force was absolutely needed in order to maintain secrecy. She devised an around the clock vigilance of Darien's apartment to watch for any anomalies. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred for the first few nights of observation. Setsuna was growing weary of Tempest's hesitation... hesitation indicated detailed planning on his part. Darien walked out of his apartment every morning at nearly the exact time with Rini in tow on his way to work. As the fourth night of observation dawned, Michiru yawned and began to speak in hushed tones to Haruka, believing that Setsuna was out of hearing range.   
  
Michiru said, "I am worried about Setsuna dearest... that night in the park she displayed so much weakness. Can we really count on her to succeed on this mission? Her feelings for that man will be the end of us in a battle." Haruka replied, "I know... I expected more from her. Since when did she...." Setsuna struck Haruka hard across the face...Haruka's face twisted into one of surprise and anger. Setsuna spoke, "How dare you. How dare you question my integrity! You two of all people... look at you. You have a relationship, you are allowed to love; I on the other hand am expected to remain a statue... untouchable by emotion. Forgive me for allowing myself to be human. My first and only duty to reality itself will always be top priority." Haruka and Michiru grew silent and Michiru spoke, "It's just that we've never seen you like this Setsuna... we don't know how to react. Despite our relationship, it never interferes with the mission... unlike...." A tear fell from Setsuna's eye, which she quickly wiped away to turn to something she saw out of the corner of her vision.   
  
Setsuna screamed at Haruka and Michiru to "GET DOWN," as a rose shattered a window of the building they were standing in front of. She knew for certain who had thrown the rose... and she shivered with fear. She thought to herself, "Oh no... no no no." Tuxedo Mask stood on the tree limb of the nearby oak... cape flapping in the wind. He looked dashingly regal as always, clad in a stylish tuxedo complete with top hat and cane... in the other hand he held a rose. Setsuna spoke to her partners, "If we do not play this carefully he will realize what we are doing and history will change because of our stupidity." Tuxedo Mask spoke, "I don't know who you are or what you want... but spying on anyone is illegal. I've seen you out here these past few days. I'd advise that you move along and stay out of these peoples business." Michiru spoke with sorrow in her voice, "Sir, we are merely lost tourists. We continue to check these apartments for vacancy... we mean no harm. We will be on our way." Tuxedo Mask spoke harshly, "Even so... you have no business being on the streets this late at night, it's too dangerous. Leave." Michiru shook her head vigorously and spoke with complete innocence, "Oh right away sir!"   
  
The three of them turned and quickly walked away from the site of the confrontation. Setsuna smiled and said aloud, "Leave it to Michiru to save the day as always." They all laughed uneasily and then Setsuna's face resumed its typical grave complexion. "We have to be more careful... it was foolish of us to be so out in the open. Darien seemed the same as always... very protective of innocents. I still cant shake the feeling that something was out of place though... he would never launch a lethal attack at anyone as he did with us, even someone who looks suspicious." Haruka and Michiru nodded in agreement and Setsuna proposed an idea, "For the remainder of the night I will transform and keep watch from the shadows near his window in the trees... you two watch for disturbances through Michiru's mirror further down the street."  
  
The plan was agreed upon and set into action. Setsuna ducked into an alleyway across from Darien's apartment complex and she reached into the pocket of her lavender coat for her transformation stick. Holding it high into the air she shouted, "PLUTO PLANET POWER! The alley became alight with an eerie purple glow and the mists of time erupted from the ground to bathe Setsuna with energy. Sailor Pluto stepped from the mists and quietly stole across the road to take her place near the apartment. Sailor Pluto quietly observed Darien talking to Rini and showing her a photo album of he and Serena. Rini was pointing and laughing hysterically at a picture of Serena with ice cream all over her face, jokingly trying to kiss Darien. Sailor Pluto smiled and thought to herself, "It seems perfectly normal, things are going as history dictates. Father and daughter interacting and Darien is acting as he should... perhaps we have the wrong target altogether."   
  
Suddenly there was a piercing sensation in her mind and she noticed Darien turn to look directly at her with a grin upon his face. She heard that voice... the voice that she tried so hard to forget, the mere sound made her heart skip a beat with longing. It spoke, "My dear Setsuna... you just don't give up do you. Your tenacity is admirable; it is unfortunate though that this time there is no way for you to stop me. You disagree? Let me just fill you in... it is futile for you to even try. I control Darien's body itself... I inhabit Darien's mind; he has no conscious awareness of what I am doing or what he sees." It then dawned on her that this was how Tuxedo Mask recognized them as they watched from outside the apartment, it had been Tempest the whole time! She spoke back to him within her mind through her thoughts, "You devil... I never thought I would see you go this low. Leave his body, what good could it possibly do you." Tempest's laughter echoed through her skull, "You wouldn't want to see him get hurt would you...." Sailor Pluto observed Rini leave the room to go play with her toys and she saw Darien walk to the kitchen... he emerged with a kitchen knife in hand and went to slit his wrist. Sailor Pluto screamed "NO," forgetting that she could not make any noise and covered her mouth with her hand... Rini looked up and returned to playing with her toys. Tempest once again spoke to her with thoughts, "Then don't interfere in what happens... or Darien dies." He laid the kitchen knife down on his dining room table.  
  
Sailor Pluto then heard footsteps on the pavement below her... Serena was approaching the apartment complex. Sailor Pluto's mind raced... what could he intend to do to her? She tried to think of something she could do... but she couldn't without altering the course of history. She brought her fist down hard on the tree branch and said to herself, "We can't lose like this... there has to be a way."   
  
Serena knocked on the door to Darien's apartment and he opened the door quickly for her. She was clad in her school uniform Serena looked pitiful... it was obvious that she had been suffering from severe depression. She spoke, "Darien... muffin, I don't know how much longer I can take being apart. Why must it be this way? Will you not even see me for dinner?" She held up some food that she had made, futilely grinning and bracing herself for rejection. Her face lit up with joy when he replied, "Serena come in... there are some things that we need to talk about." Serena practically jumped into his arms and she said, "Oh Darien I've missed us so much!" She went to kiss Darien and smiling he put his finger to her lips, he said "Not yet Serena." Serena sighed and hugged him for what seems like an eternity. Darien looked at Setsuna and grinned as he turned his gaze to the kitchen knife on the table and deftly took it into his hand.  
  
Sailor Pluto realized with horror that he intended to kill Serena as she was wrapped up in the illusion of false love. A flash of insight illuminated her mind... and she decided to put a plan in action. Sailor Pluto channeled a miniscule amount of power into the garnet orb and she placed her finger to her brooch. She prayed that the interface to the small lady's beloved Luna Ball had not changed and when she spoke... her voice issued forth from the toy ball as she did often during this time in history to communicate with Rini. "Rini, would you like to play a game," the ball spoke in a mechanical voice. Rini picked the ball up curiously and laughed, "Sure Luna Ball, what we gonna play?" Sailor Pluto smiled in delight, "Steal the meatball head's brooch and make her chase you around! Wouldn't that be fun?" Rini giggled happily and stood up with a start, "Wow that sounds like great fun!" Sailor Pluto then urged her on, "Hurry now! You may miss your chance!"   
  
Rini ran into the next room where Serena and Darien were standing, cuddling with each other. Darien raised the knife into the air behind Serena's back and he prepared to bring it screaming into Serena's soft flesh. Sailor Pluto couldn't help but laugh at the next thing that happened. Rini bit Serena on the leg sending her doubling over in pain and as she bent over to brush Rini away... Rini tore the brooch off of her school uniform. Then Rini took off down the hallway to the stairs of the apartment complex. Serena screamed as she tore off quickly after Rini, "GIVE THAT BACK YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Darien turned to the window from which Sailor Pluto was watching the whole situation unfold and he scowled, "Fine... if that's the way you want it." Darien picked up the knife once again and brought it to his neck. Sailor Pluto threw her staff through the window... knocking the knife from his hand and causing him to grab it in pain. Then there was a knock at the door to his apartment. At first he ignored it but then it continued... so he opened the door.  
  
There in the hallway stood Haruka and Michiru. Michiru smiled and inclined her head to speak, "Hello we just moved into the apartment down the hallway from you! We are pleased to meet your acquaintance!" Darien, looking confused, shook her hand and began to stammer, "Look I don't really have time... I was right in the middle of looking for my friends...." Haruka quickly interjected, "We saw a little girl run up to the roof a minute ago with a very obnoxious teenager on her heels. Is that who you are looking for?" Darien said, "As a matter of fact... yes! Could you take me to them?" Michiru looked out the window where Sailor Pluto was watching and nodded upward... indicating she should go to the roof. Michiru and Haruka left with Darien behind them and they slowly ascended the stairs to the rooftops.  
  
Sailor Pluto called her staff to her and used it to propel herself from the tree branch to the roof. The door from the stairwell opened and Darien was shoved outward onto the rooftop by Haruka and Michiru, then they stepped out and slammed the door behind them... blocking escape. Sailor Pluto spoke, "Surrender Tempest, leave the body of Prince Darien and future King Endymion." Darien turned to face her with a start and he exclaimed, "You!" Haruka spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Don't forget us either you sleazy bastard." Haruka extended her transformation stick into the air and screamed, "URANUS PLANET POWER!"  
  
An aura of yellow energy shined outward from the tip of the transformation stick as she spun it in a circle around her. A cyclone of furious wind shot from the ground, reaching towards the sky, and engulfed Haruka's body in a storm. Placing her tiara upon her forehead... she emerged from the storm as Sailor Uranus. Michiru followed suit and shouted, "NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!" As she spun the stick around her the air became wet with humidity and a jet of water materialized to surround her, brushing her hair back as the waves crashed and broke... she emerged from the water clad as Sailor Neptune. Darien smiled... his eyes wide with shock, "Ah look it's the big happy family! Good to see you pests again, let's do this." Sailor Uranus attacked first as she raised her fist into the air, "WORLD SHAKING!" The roof shook slightly as she slammed the huge ball of energy into the rooftop to send it flying towards Darien. He just smiled and stood there with arms apart... waiting for it to hit him.   
  
Sailor Pluto shouted, "NO! THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS!" She raised her staff into the air and the mists of time condensed onto the garnet orb... she sent the energy flying at Haruka's attack, "DEAD SCREAM!" The two blasts of energy met in mid air in a dull explosion... canceling each other out. Sailor Uranus turned to Sailor Pluto and said, "Damn it Setsuna once again you allow your feelings to...." Sailor Pluto interrupted and spoke, "He wants you to damage Darien's body so that he will be harmed thus changing history. Darien is not conscious of what is going on... we must force Tempest out of his body."   
  
As they were distracted, Darien sped off for the side of the building... Tempest was forcing him to jump! Sailor Neptune saw it coming and she attempted to reach him in time... but it was too late, he was already airborne. Darien's body seemed to convulse as it fell to the ground... there was a flash of red light and Tempest appeared before them. Tempest shouted to Sailor Pluto, "You lose... there is nothing you can do to prevent this!" Sailor Pluto knew the consequences for what she was about to do... but she had no choice, it was either do this or allow reality to be destroyed. She channeled all of her power into the garnet orb and prepared to use the forbidden attack of Dark Dome Close... the attack that would stop time. Suddenly, a voice that she instantly recognized rang out from behind her... "That will not be necessary!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
What do you guys think so far?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. The Herald

*I will refer to the Silence Glaive as a scythe throughout the rest of the series.  
  
CHAPTER 6 (The Herald)  
  
"The game always has an end. It may have its starts and stops along the way but always things move towards ultimate termination. The herald is an omen... an omen of things to come...of dark times and of evil times. Fear the Prophecy players of this game, you may not like what you see. "  
  
"That will not be necessary." Sailor Pluto turned to face the source of those calm words as her eyes widened in fear and surprise. She knew that voice and hearing it could only mean the worst was bound to happen. A figure stood behind them cloaked in shadow, a street lamp barely illuminating its form. In its hand it held an object... a very long staff tipped with a wicked curved blade fixture. It could only be the Silence Glaive, one of the most powerful weapons in the Sailor Senshi arsenal. Time seemed to slow down as the figure stepped forward into the moonlight. It was a young girl. Her aura was such that it seemed the shadows she appeared in clung to her person. Her raven black hair gave way to her dark sad eyes, her entire face fixed in an expression of utter melancholy. Sailor Pluto thought, "Who wouldn't be so grave when they possessed the forbidden power to blot a planet out of existence?" Sailor Pluto managed to choke out the words, "Sailor.... Saturn?" Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stood dumbfounded having no idea how to react to the reappearance of the Sailor senshi of the deathly silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Sailor Pluto saw Tempest shiver in fear and he whispered, "The power... I can feel it." Sailor Saturn seemed to be concentrating on something and she smiled slightly as her sovereign symbol glowed upon her forehead and she gestured upward... Darien's body was hovering over the rooftop. Amazed, they watched as he was gently lowered into his apartment through the window that Sailor Pluto had broken earlier.  
Sailor Saturn's face lost some of its tension and she seemed to relax and she softly spoke, "The Prince is safe from harm. Pluto, Uranus, Neptune it is a pleasure to see you again." Then she turned to Tempest and swung the scythe into a battle position and she shouted, "I am the Sailor of Death and Rebirth, the planet of silence is my guardian... Sailor Saturn. I know who you are and I know who you serve, I will not allow you to carry on with your plans." Tempest regained his composure and spoke to Sailor Saturn with venom, "How entertaining, someone new for me to play with. It makes no difference to me who you are, you are just another gnat." Sailor Saturn remained mute and emotionless as she merely choked her grip on the scythe tighter. Sailor Pluto was the next to speak, "Tempest, surrender yourself to us and we will help you. There is no need for you to continue this strife; we may be able to free you from control. Now that Saturn is here maybe we can...." Tempest snarled at them, "Shut up. CHAOS FLARE!" There was a flash of red energy and the scouts were knocked off of their feet at the surprising ferocity of the attack. Tempest's voice rang out from all around them; "No one can challenge the power of Chaos, it is you who shall surrender you pathetic fools... Setsuna I can't stop myself this time, run go get away... ARGH! I am going to rip your spleen out Saturn... NO! KILL ME! DO IT NOW!" Tempest screamed in anguish... his hands to his forehead and his cape convoluting into wild shapes around him, he was struggling with the force that controlled him.   
Sailor Pluto felt herself running towards where he was cowering on the concrete of the rooftop. Sailor Uranus began to run after her but a menacing look from Saturn was all that was needed to make her rethink her actions. Saturn spoke, "Let her go. They need this." Sailor Neptune remained silent and stared at the sight, her hair slowly ghosting about in the breeze. Sailor Pluto felt her heart leap into her throat as she knelt beside the shivering form of the man that she loved and she placed her hand on his face... gently caressing it upward.   
Tempest looked up at her with a sob, her face was outlined by the moon and in it she was Diana herself... the moon goddess on Earth. He spoke to her gently, "Angel of the Night, carved from the soft light of the moon, I love you." He felt the turmoil within his soul between good and evil slow and a warm feeling enveloped his heart... it always happened when he saw her. He felt her hands forcefully pull him towards her and enfold him in her warm embrace then he felt that feeling again, it felt as if the puzzle was complete when they were together. They slowly pulled away from each other and Sailor Pluto spoke, "I feel alive for the first time in eons when I am with you my love, I'm no longer a wraith... like those I am surrounded with. Their screams are quieted with the mere touch of... your lips."   
As they kissed Sailor Pluto noticed that Tempest was crying tears of pure joy. She saw his hair began to change... the red slowly fading to black and she saw the cape begin to wither. It slowly began to crumble, pieces of it began to fall to the concrete. Sailor Pluto spoke, "Fight it Tempest...." Tempest replied gently, "My name...my real name Setsuna is...." Sailor Pluto covered her mouth with her hand and held back her tears as the shock registered with her, it really was working. His hair was almost totally black and then, it turned blood red. Tempest snarled and a tendril of his cape slammed against Sailor Pluto. She flew over the side of the building and with a cry she managed to hook the jagged edge of the key on its very edge. She dangled eight stories in the air like a worm on a hook. Tempest's form appeared over her and he smiled as he poised his foot to kick her loose, "It's Tempest... learn it well for it is the last you will here as you suffer the same fate as I would have willed your Prince." Tempest laughed and he pulled his foot back for the death knell.  
Then his eyes went wide and he coughed up a bit of blood as he reached behind him to extract the blade of the Silence Glaive from his back. Sailor Saturn shouted, "NOW!" He heard a shout, "WORLD SHAKING!" Sailor Uranus slammed the wind energy that she had been slowly summoning since Tempest began his attack on Sailor Pluto into the ground. It sailed towards him... carving a path of destruction across the rooftop and he easily moved to the side to avoid it. He laughingly spoke, "Is that all?"  
Tempest felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and he turned to behold the smiling face of Sailor Neptune. She held the Submarine Mirror firmly in front of her face as her smile contorted into hostility and she shouted, "SUBMARINE REFLECTION!" There was a brilliant flash of green light from the glass of the mirror and he covered his eyes with his hands... groaning in pain. Sailor Saturn then made her move... placing her hands on both sides of his face and closing her eyes in concentration. Sailor Saturn spoke, "If you can't kill those demons then I will." Black lightning crackled outward from her as Tempest convulsed violently, waves of power surged from her arms into his skull. Sailor Pluto finally pulled herself over onto the rooftop once more and she beheld the awesome spectacle. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus shielded their eyes from the radiance, the very air around Saturn and Tempest seemed to warp. Finally, the power storm ended and Saturn emerged carrying the limp form of Tempest in her arms. All that was left of his cape was what looked like thousands of tiny glass shards all over the rooftop. There was a greasy black crater where they stood when the exorcism of his demons took place.   
Sailor Saturn walked over to the astonished Sailor Pluto and gave him to her. Sailor Pluto slowly lowered to the ground, placing his head onto her lap. His eyes fluttered open and he breathed deeply. He smiled as he looked up at Sailor Pluto and he said, "You really are hopeless you know? You guys just don't give up. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to think with my own brain." He glanced over at Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and nodded, "I thank you with all my heart ladies and you...." He sat up and hugged Sailor Pluto close to him; "I love you with every fiber of my being and whatever happens don't you ever forget that. My name...my dear Setsuna is Aurick." Sailor Pluto's eyes were filled with joy as she kissed his lips for the "first time," he was real and it wasn't a dream. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were smiling, they were reminded of the day that they met those many years ago. Sailor Saturn walked over to the rooftop and stared into space.   
She solemnly interjected, "Then it is as I feared... the fight doesn't end with you. The prophecy that I have foreseen will come true with or without you." Aurick stood with Sailor Pluto at his side, "The full extent of their plan is much worse than any of you understand. I am merely a pawn, a forerunner, in what is about to happen to this uni...." There was a brilliant white light and a gate opened in the air before them.  
Sailor Pluto felt Aurick shudder against her and swallow with an expression of pure horror upon his face. He shouted to the scouts, "It's them... they have come to reclaim me. You guys get out of here, their power dwarves mine to fight them now is hopeless." Sailor Pluto spoke, "They are going to have to go through me to get to you." Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stepped beside of Sailor Pluto and Uranus placed her hand on her shoulder. Sailor Saturn balanced the Silence Glaive in preparation for battle. A voice spoke, "That can be arranged you fools. Throw down your weapons and return to us what is ours."  
Out from the gate a form emerged. He was clad in armor, the gold armor covered its body from head to toe even his face was covered in gold. It wasn't a helmet... but a mask. It was as if the metal was molded to fit its face. Behind the man flowed a writhing cape, the exact type that Tempest had worn. He spoke, "Surrender Tempest and return with me to the council. You must be reformatted." Aurick whispered to the scouts, "He is Chief Centurion Preax, little more than a goon for the council of which he speaks." Preax barked in interruption, "Silence! I do not particularly care to hurt you ladies but if you do not surrender Tempest I will be forced to wreak unspeakable pain upon you." Sailor Pluto noticed a glint of something behind Aurick's back... in his hand he held a brooch that was used to fashion his cape together as Tempest. She reached over and took it from him and she heard his voice in her head, "It's all you need to know." Sailor Pluto responded with her thoughts, "No. Don't speak to me as if we have already lost this battle." Aurick's face twisted into one of pure anger and he extended his arms outward and to the sides... the shards of material covering the rooftop flew to his back and condensed to form his cape once again. He shouted, "I'm not going willingly... from Hell's heart I stab at thee, with my last breath I spit a curse at thee, you get the damn picture you pompous ass."  
The battle was then joined. Sailor Pluto and Aurick were the first to fling themselves into battle with the outer senshi following close behind. Aurick spoke, "Join with me my love. CHAOS FLARE!" Sailor Pluto lowered the garnet orb to level with Preax's chest and she channeled her power into the staff. The wraiths of time screamed around her in a storm and shot through the staff like electricity through a wire as she shouted, "DEAD SCREAM!" The combined force of the attacks would have surely collapsed a small mountain; it hit Preax squarely in the chest. As the smoke cleared Preax stood there defiantly and spoke, "I think you dented my breastplate... tsk tsk." Aurick wrapped the tendrils of his cloak around Preax's throat and began to lift him into the air. Sailor Pluto began to charge for another barrage of attacks but Preax merely made a small gesture and the very ground on which she stood enveloped her feet like quick sand and became solid once more... entrapping her. Preax's maniacal laughter filled the night air as he merely ripped the tendrils of Aurick's cloak from his throat and grabbing hold of them... he began to slam Aurick into the ground like a yo-yo in the hands of an angry child. Aurick shakily got to his feet and Preax was ready... his cloak reaching out to entrap Aurick.   
Sailor Uranus brought her fists together and slowly pulled them apart to reveal the sheath of her talisman, the Space Sword. She quickly pulled the sheath off and charged at Preax, the blade turned to gleaming hot energy as she shouted, "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" Preax turned and caught the blade in his hand and inclined his head slightly at Sailor Uranus as if curious as to what she was doing and he merely said, "Cute." Sailor Uranus shouted, "Damn you" and engaged in close combat her fists and legs lashing out with swift punches and kicks. Her fist was bloody and bruised from the force of her blows and he seemed unfazed by any of her efforts. On her next kick, Preax grabbed her leg and squeezed. She heard a loud snap and the pain of a broken femur screamed through her leg... it was verbalized as well, echoing through the night. "SUBMARINE REFLECTION!" Preax turned to Neptune... a determined look upon her face as energy hot enough to scorch stone issued forth from the mirror. Preax chuckled to himself, "How pretty." He made a small gesture and there was a loud crack as her head turned at an impossible angle... she fell to the ground like a sack of dirt. Sailor Uranus screamed, "MICHIRU" and as she ran over to see if she was all right, Preax shouted "CHAOS BOLT," and hurled the lightning to hit her in the abdomen. She rolled over groaning in pain and the smell of burned flesh permeated the atmosphere. Pluto screamed as she pulled at her feet, "NEPTUNE! URANUS!" OH GOD NO!"   
Sailor Saturn swung the Silence Glaive and it sang as it made contact with Preax's shoulder. She had drawn blood! Preax slapped her so forcefully that she felt her jaw come out of alignment and kneed her in the stomach. Recovering, Saturn kicked him in the groin and drawing the scythe back out she prepared to strike the deathblow to his neck. He quickly shook the force of her blows off and grabbed her by the throat... the senshi of the deathly silence; one of the strongest of them all and he threw her against the stairwell door. Preax sneered, "This is all you have to offer... the strongest of the sailor senshi. You can't do better than this? How sad, it must be depressing to know that you can't win despite your best efforts." Preax turned and smiled at Sailor Pluto... who still struggled violently against her shackles but could not move them and he said, "Let me get your boyfriend on the way, then Ill take care of you." He reached out and grabbed Aurick... tossing him through the gate like a doll. Then turning to face Sailor Pluto once again his hands began to crackle with energy, "SILENCE BOLT!" Sailor Pluto closed her eyes as the energy split the air with a deafening crack and sailed towards her.   
"SILENCE WALL!" The bolt of energy was stopped millimeters from her face and was reflected back towards Preax, it passed through his chest with a sizzle and exploded a window across the street. Preax snapped, "You'll pay for that, we aren't done with you yet." He stumbled through the gate and it closed. Sailor Saturn leaned back against the wall breathing heavily and dropped the scythe that she had used for the attack to the ground beside her. Saturn spoke, "Uranus and Neptune... I can heal them." The force that had bound Sailor Pluto's feet to the rooftop dispersed and she was thrown forward onto her face. Stumbling up onto her feet... she looked around her.   
The rooftop smoldered from the numerous craters they had created in the battle. The smoke rose in ebony plumes towards the night sky. There were bodies all around. Uranus and Neptune lay there near death and the highest card in their deck, Sailor Saturn, was injured. Sailor Pluto felt something hard on the ground behind her and so she picked it up... opening his brooch, there was a picture of him as himself, beautiful black hair with gorgeous blue eyes. Sailor Pluto snapped the brooch shut... and she screamed.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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